MTV is going to launch a music download service. Smart?
Not for MTV. First, there's already massive competition in this space. Second, MTV's competences don't really support downloadable music anymore. They've eroded their music competence in favour of a broader cultural competence - their value now is in the shows they produce, which impact culture hugely (like Jackass).
Finally, it's difficult to see how MTV can have an effective strategy: how it can do something different and better than it's competitors to offer consumers more value. If it's model is just a replication of the same old iTunes...forget it, in this market, there really
are early-mover advantages.